Spring trip mounting for cultivator steels



March 2, 1943. c. w. HAAG'EN. 2,312,405

SPRING TRIP MOUNTING FOR CULTIVATOR STEELS Filed Jan. 4, 1941 INVE/YTGE i C'fizn/d n /ZirgLfqnHan geM 1 HTTQFNE) Patented Mar. 2, 1943 SPRING TRIP MOUNTING FOR CULTIVATOR STEELS Charles Wellington Haagen, Philadelphia, Pa., as-

signor to S. L. Allen & 00., Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 4, 1941, Serial No. 373,089

3 Claims.

The invention relates to farm and garden cultivators more especially of the tractor propelled type and is particularly concerned with novel means for mounting the individual ground working tools, generally known as steels, and therefore so generically termed herein, in a manner to enable them to depart from their respective normal paths upon encountering an obstruction so as to clear the latter and then automatically return to cultivating position while the cultivator as a whole continues to operate in the usual way.

In modern tractor-drawn cultivating equipment it has become standard practice to utilize a gang bar or the like to support a plurality of laterally spaced cultivator steels through individual vertical standards adjustably clamped to the bar, and with the object of preventing bending or breakage of the steels or other parts when one or more of the former strikes a rock, heavy root or the like, various means have been suggested for attaching the steels to the standards in a manner to permit their limited individual and independent movement in a vertical plane so that each steel can ride over the obstruction and then return to normal operative position without affecting any of the others. But as far as I am aware none of these devices has been entirely satisfactory for they either cause the steel to dig more deeply into the ground after encountering an obstruction and thus place an increased strain upon it and its supporting parts before it ultimately is dragged over the obstruction or else, if so constructed as to minimize this objectionable digging in, they enhance the tendency of the steel and its support to collect trash such as-vines, stems and the like and thus decrease the efiiciency of operation of the cultivator as a whole.

Typical of the first class of these devices are those in which an arm to the lower part of which the steel is secured is pivoted to the lower end of the standard and yieldably maintained in operating position through a toggle comprising a pair of links pivoted together and respectively to the standard and the arm, and a spring which biases the toggle so as to push the arm forwardly about its pivot as far as permitted by a suitably arranged stop whereby when in operating position the point of the steel lies materially in advance of a vertical plane through the arm pivot. When the steel encounters an obstruction as the cultivator is moving forward the steel and arm swing rearwardly about this pivot against the pressure of the spring thus causing the steel to dig deeper into the ground instead of promptly rising to clear the obstruction, and this increases the strain on the steel and parts with which it is associated to such an extent they are frequently bent or broken. Devices of this class are therefore objectionable in that they impose an excessive duty on their component elements unless the cultivator is very carefully handled or even stopped entirely when one of the steels strikes a rock, root or the like but they do not have a tendency to collect excessive amounts of trash as the cultivator moves over the ground.

Devices of the second class, which were evolved with a View to minimizing the objections inherent in those of the first class, comprise essentially a markedly curved arm in shape somewhat resembling an open C having one end pivoted to the cultivator standard and carrying the cultivator steel at its other end, and a generally similar spring controlled toggle for yieldingly allowing the arm and steel to move about the arm pivot. lhe pivotal center of the curved arm in this device is substantially over the leading point of the steel when the latter is in cultivating position so that when the steel is deflected by an obstruction, the path of its point coincides with an arm struck from said center and the steel thus rises fairly promptly whereby the objectionable digging in is more or less effectively overcome but the tendency of the curved arm from which the steel is directly supported to collect and become clogged up with trash when the cultivator is in use is tremendously enhanced.

Mechanisms of both these classes moreover are not always efiective when the cultivator is in motion to positively return the steel to normal position in the ground after it has been tripped which necessitates stopping the cultivator to enable the mechanism to effect such return.

It is therefore a principal object of my invention to provide cultivator steel supporting and tripping mechanism which affords a sharply upwardly curving path of movement for the steel when tripped upon encountering an unyielding obstruction whereby the steel can readily clear the latter and thereafter quickly return to its normal operating position in the ground while the cultivator is in motion.

A further object is to provide cultivator steel supporting and tripping mechanism which extends substantially vertically upward from the steel in close proximity to the extended axis of the standard by means of which it is attached to the cultivator, whereby accumulation of trash such as vines, stems and the like above and Another object is to provide a spring trip of this character in which the actionof the cultivator steel when tripped by an obstruction is such as to quickly and effectively clear the steel there from through a compound pivotal movement of the steel which automatically changes its angular relation to the cultivator and/or to the obstruction as it moves upwardly with respect thereto.

Other objects, purposes and advantages of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear or will'be understood from the following description of spring trip mechanism constructed in accord 1 ance therewith and adapted for use with a cultivator steel of ordinary type, the said mechanism being illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation thereof in normal position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the several parts when the steel has been deflected through encountering an obstruction;

Fig. 3 is a rear View of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, with certain parts broken away into vertical section, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail of a portion of Fig. 1 on a larger scale.

In the several figures like characters are used to designate the same parts.

Referrring now more particularly to the drawing, the trip mechanism illustrated comprises a standard I adapted for attachment to a cultivator gang bar or the like by means of a suitable clamp (not shown). The standard has a cylindrical shank 2 and at its lower end opposed bearing surfaces 3 formed at its sides and desirably positioned substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the cultivator when the standard is operatively secured thereto. The spring trip mechanism by means of which the cultivator steel 5 is attached to the standard I comprises a pair of supporting links 4, pivoted near one end on a transverse pivot pin 5 to the lower end of the standard I in engagement with the bearing surfaces 3, and a pair of shorter control links 6 pivoted on a similar pin 1 for movement in substantially the same planes. A nut 8 is disposed between the control links 6 and secured thereto as by Welding, receives a bolt 9 adapted to engage an abutment ID formed at the lower end of the standard I to limit movement in one direction of the control links about their pivot I, and hence of the entire spring trip mechanism which is controlled thereby. A look nut II on the bolt 9 clamps a washer i2 against the edges of the control links 6 and thus enables the bolt to be secured in predetermined adjusted position.

The ends of the pairs of links 4 and 6 opposite, those ends which are attached to the standard I are pivoted at spaced points by pivots I3, l4 to an arm I5 which directly supports the steel S, the latter being removably secured to the arm I5 by a bolt I6, nut I1 and washer I8. The arm I5 preferably comprises two pairs of laterally spaced angularly adjustable plates I9, 20, the

lower plates I9 being rigidly held together by rivets 2 I, 22 surrounded by spacing sleeves 23, 24 whereby they form a rigid unit which is adjustably attached to the plates 20 through cooperation of the pivot I3 and a bolt 25 slidable in slots 26 in plates 29 and provided with a nut 21 and washers 28, a spacing sleeve 29 being interposed between the plates 20 about the bolt. The washers have one or more ribs on their inner faces engageable in complementary serrations 30 in the faces of the adjacent plates 20 to aid in securely locking the plates I9 and 25 together in angularly adjusted relation with respect 'to the pivot I3.

Supporting links 4 and control links 6 are thus movable about their respective pivots 5 and I relatively to the standard I through the pivotal connection of one end of each thereto and have their opposite extremities pivoted at points on the arm I5 which are not spaced at equal distances respectively from the centers of the pivots 5 and "I; movement of the arm I5 relatively to the standard is therefore not a parallel motiorij but carries the arm upwardly and rearwardly with gradually shifting angularity to the stand: ard I, while the angular relationship of the links to each other also changes during this movement. Thus the links are substantially parallel when the arm I5 is in normal operating position as shown in Fig. 1 but occupy a distinctly angular relation to each other when the arm is raised to the osition of Fig. 2, the angular rela; tion of the steel S to the ground becoming more nearly vertical at the same time due to theangu: lar shifting of the arm.

This relative angular movement ofthe links 4 and 6 is important in that it facilitates spring control of the trip mechanism as will now be explained, and in theembodiment of the inven- ;pivot I4 which connects control links 6 to the arm I5 is slidable in slot 35 formed by the legs of the bar and the outer ends of these legs are welded or otherwise secured to a rod 36. At'its outer extremity this rod is threaded and carries a nut 31 and the spring 3I is interposed between a cap or washer 38 beneath this nut and another cap 39 having an axial projection 40 bearing on the pivot I4 so that by adjustment of the nut on the rod the spring pressure may be varied to control the force with which it tends to draw the pivot I4 and the stud 34 together, that is, from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 1; the resistance it oifers to movement of the parts in the opposite directionis of course likewise determined and controlled.

The arm I5 supporting the cultivator steel and pivotally attached to the ends of the links is consequently urged by the spring downwardly and forwardly along the curved path indicated ,by the broken line P in Fig. for is yieldingly of the standard I limiting the movement of the v steel in the forward direction. a j

The lower part of the steel S, as shown in Fig. 1, normally extends below the surface of the ground when the cultivator is operating and terminates considerably in advance of the axis of the standard I. Upon encountering an obstruction such as a rock R, however, its forward movement is interrupted, but because of the spring trip supporting the steel the cultivator as a whole can continue on its way with re-- sultant relative movement between the cultivator and steel. This action causes the supporting links 4 and control links 6 to swing about their pivots and thus raise the arm I and steel relatively to the obstruction until the steel can pass over the latter, after which it is promptly and positively returned to its normal position through the action of the spring 3| on the control links 6.

It will be observed from an inspection of Fig.

,1 that the path P followed by the point of the steel rises relatively rapidly from its forward extremity, the point preferably moving vertically about for each inch it moves horizontally, whereby an almost immediate clearing of the obstruction with correspondingly prompt return of the steel to normal position is attained and digging in of the steel before passing over the obstruction is prevented. A comparison of Figs. 1 and 2 demonstrates how the angular relation of the steel to the ground also changes as the steel moves upward, this change not only helping to clear the steel from the obstruction, but also tending to free it from any stems, vines or the like which may have accumulated around it.

While I have herein described the invention with considerable particularity as embodied in spring trip mechanism suitable for a cultivator steel of a well known type, it will be understood it may be utilized with equal advantage in connection with other steels or tools of different specific character, and that changes and modifications may be made in the form, construction and relationship of the several parts, as well as in their mode of operation and specific functions, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. In cultivator steel spring trip mechanism, a vertical standard, a pair of links pivoted at vertically and horizontally spaced points to the standard for movement in a common plane and normally extending angularly downward from said points, an arm adapted to support a cultivator steel, pivots respectively connecting the links with the arm at normally substantially vertically aligned points more widely spaced than the pivotal connections of the links with the standard, an element pivoted to one link between its pivotal connections and extending beyond and in sliding relation with the pivot connecting the other link with the arm, yielding means carried by the element, means fixed to the element engaging one end of the yielding means and movable means interposed between said pivot and the other end of the yielding means operative through the bias of the latter to urge said pivot toward the first link thereby tending to restore the pivots connecting the links with the arm to substantial vertical alignment after they have been displaced therefrom by movement of the links about their pivotal connections with the standard to a position in which they extend angularly upward from said connections.

2. In cultivator steel spring trip mechanism, a vertical standard having substantially parallel opposed bearing surfaces, a pair of supporting links respectively pivoted to the standard proximate said surfaces for movement in planes parallel thereto, control links pivoted to the standard at points vertically and horizontally spaced from the pivotal connections of the supporting links therewith for movement respectively in said planes, an arm adapted to support a cultivator steel, pivotal connections between the arm and the links spaced more widely apart than the pivotal connections of the links with the standard, a slotted bar pivoted to the supporting links between their pivotal connections with the standard and arm, said bar receiving in its slot for rectilinear movement therein the pivot connecting the control links with the arm,

and yielding means carried by the bar biasing said pivot toward the supporting links.

3. In cultivator steel spring trip mechanism, a vertical standard having substantially parallel opposed bearing surfaces, a pair of supporting links embracing and pivoted to the standard proximate said surface for movement in parallel planes in engagement therewith and normally extending angularly downward from their pivotal connections with the standard, a pair of control links embracing and pivoted to the standard adjacent the supporting links and normally extending angularly substantially downward in generally parallel relation therewith for movement in substantially the same parallel planes, a cultivator steel, an arm supporting the steel and having pivotal connections with each of said pairs of links, the connections with the supporting links normally lying in substantial vertical alignment with the connections with the control links, a slotted bar pivotally secured to and extending from the supporting links between the control links on opposite sides of the pivotal connection of the latter with the arm, yielding means surrounding the bar having one end in bearing relation to said pivotal connection and means carried by the bar engaging the other end of the yielding means to maintain said means under compression and thereby urge the pivotal connection between the arm and control links toward the supporting links to restore the control links to substantial parallelism with the latter after the control links have been displaced therefrom by movement of all the links about their respective pivotal connections with the standard to swing the steel in a compound arc with respect thereto.

CHARLES WELLINGTON HAAGEN. 

